Caustic Cousins
by saveourmanatees373
Summary: Another Crystal story... her cousin comes, and causes trouble. Lots of spanking, although not in part one. It leads into it though.
1. Chapter 1

"Caustic Cousins"  
  
Part 1  
  
Little House on the Prairie fanfiction  
  
Twelve-year-old Crystal Craiger waited impatiently with her father, James, for the stagecoach to arrive. Her cousin, Danielle, was coming to stay with Crystal's family while her parents were at a clinic. Danielle was supposed to be around Crystal's age, and the young girl was excited at the prospect of a new playmate, as well as someone with whom she could share her chores.  
  
Finally the stagecoach rumbled into the depot. By this time Crystal was hopping from foot to foot in anticipation, causing little puffs of dust to explode out from under her boots. Once the vehicle had slowed to a stop, everyone waited anxiously for the girl to emerge.   
  
Finally, the door opened, and a sweet-looking girl stepped out. She was dressed fancily, but that wasn't too much of a shock; people always wanted to make a nice first impression. Her dress was down to her ankles, and was a soft, periwinkle blue. There were small rosettes on the bodice, and lace came down in layers on the ample skirt.   
  
Her hair was auburn and curly, with her grown-out bangs pulled back by a bow that matched her gorgeous dress. Her complexion was fair. She would have been extremely pretty, except for her size. She didn't look "bad" necessarily, just rather beefy. If it weren't for the welcoming smile that she sported, she would have seemed rather overbearing.  
  
The back of the stagecoach was loaded with the girl's bags and trunk, and she was only there for a three week stay! Crystal gaped in awe as the stagecoach driver and her pa hefted the loaded packs into the family's wagon. She felt so inferior in her simple calico dress with its pale pink background and little violets sprinkled across it, covered by a solid navy apron. They had money for slightly nicer clothes, but now that they lived on a farm, it just wasn't practical!  
  
Still, she mustered up her courage, and timidly approached her cousin. She extended her petite hand, and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Crystal. You must be Danielle. I've been looking forward to meeting you for so long!"  
  
"Hi," was all the response Crystal could get from the other girl.  
  
"You must be awfully tired after such a long journey. How was it? Did it take you long to get here from Pittsburgh?"  
  
"Yes, I am, and yes it did," came the reply.  
  
Crystal was a little put off by this, but decided to let it rest. The girl just had to be tired from her trip. Surely she would be more conversational once she had a good meal in her, she reasoned.   
  
Finally the wagon was loaded up, and James came over to the two girls. "Oh, good, I'm glad you two have already introduced yourselves. It's good to meet you, Danielle. I'm your Uncle James. Julia has told me a lot about your family, and we've heard nothing but good about you." The man put an arm around her shoulders.  
  
"It's nice to meet you too, Uncle James," she said sweetly.  
  
James smiled. "I'm sure you two girls will have a lot of talking to do, so I will let you sit in the back where you can have some privacy. Let's hurry and get home, so we can get supper out of the way and get Danielle to bed. I'm sure she must be absolutely exhausted."  
  
"Yes, I am, Uncle James. Dinner and bed sound just wonderful. And I would love to have some time to get to know Crystal," replied Danielle kindly. James beamed at the girl, and motioned to the back of the wagon. Crystal was already clambering amidst all of the luggage.   
  
Danielle just stared in surprise. For the first time since she had arrived in Walnut Grove, she volunteered to speak to her cousin. "Uh, Crystal? How do I get up?" she asked.  
  
"Just climb in, silly!" came Crystal's easy response.  
  
Danielle just balked. "You can't be serious!"  
  
"Oh, fine then, give me your hand," Crystal conceded. It took some doing, but she finally got her larger cousin up in the wagon next to her. Danielle just went and sat on her carpetbag with her chin in her hands.  
  
"Are we all set back there?" James called out.  
  
"Yes, Pa!" called out Crystal.  
  
"Alright then, let's get on home!" With a jolt the wagon began to move south towards the small farm that was the Craiger's.   
  
Several times on the way back to the Craiger farm Crystal tried to engage her cousin in a conversation, but each time she failed miserably. Eventually she just gave up, and went to sit by herself and daydream.  
  
Finally the lengthy trip from town was over, and the family got out of the wagon. Julia, Crystal's mother, ran out of the house to greet them. The smell of lye soap and peach cobbler faintly clung to her form, and while Crystal welcomed the smell, Danielle wrinkled her nose just a little. Julia didn't even notice, though, and hurried over to the girl and embraced her.  
  
"Hello, honey! It's so good to meet you, at last! I've heard so much about you!"  
  
Danielle's sweet smile made its grand entrance again, and she returned her aunt's hug. "Hello, Aunt Julia! It's nice to meet you too!"   
  
"Let's get you inside then. Supper's on the table. Your uncle'll come out after the meal to get your bags.  
  
While James went back out to unhitch the team, Julia led the way into the white, two-story farm house. The door led straight into the kitchen, so no instructions were needed on how to get to the dining area. The room was small, though not crowded. An oven and counter were against the back wall, and a fireplace to the left of it. In the far right corner was an oak table. It was already set with a glass, silverware, plate, and napkins at each place.   
  
"Danielle," Julia began, "you may go ahead and take a seat at the table. Tonight, Crystal and I will serve you."  
  
"Why, thank you, Aunt Julia," came her response. She made her way over to the table and flounced into the nicest chair, which just happened to be James'.   
  
Indignant, Crystal strode purposely toward her cousin, opening her mouth to rebuke her, but Julia barred her way. One arm came across the girl's chest and the other hand covered her mouth.  
  
"Let her be, Crystal," Julia whispered in her daughter's ear. "She's a guest, and she didn't know any better." Crystal bit back a sharp retort and merely nodded. Neither woman nor child thought they had been observed, but Danielle wasn't one to miss anything.  
  
It was that perceptive nature of hers that drew her eye to the linen napkins on the walnut table. "Why, you have such 'interesting' napkins, Aunt Julia," she commented lightly.  
  
"Yes, well, I'm sorry about this Danielle," Julia began, and then she caught her daughter's questioning gaze from across the room. She went and picked one of the pieces of fabrib up and brought it to Crystal. Tears came to Crystal's eyes as Julia continued.  
  
"Crystal was doing laundry this afternoon, and left my white napkins to soak with her pa's red shirt."  
  
"Ma, I…"  
  
  
  
"Not now, Crystal," her mother replied tartly. "Your father and I will discuss this with you after supper."   
  
Silently crying, the girl nodded her head. Julia put a comforting arm around Crystal's shoulders and gave her a quick hug.  
  
"Help me get supper on the table, alright? The sooner we eat, the sooner we can it over with."  
  
Crystal nodded again, and helped set out the roast duck, biscuits and honey, and creamed corn. By the time she was pouring water in the glasses, James was coming through the doorframe.   
  
As he entered he was smiling and whistling Yankee Doodle, but then he saw the tears on Crystal's face. He approached her with a concerned look on his face.  
  
"What's the matter, sweetie?" he asked. "Do you have another headache? If so, you may sit down, you know."  
  
With this, Crystal's sobbing resumed, and she shook her head.  
  
"Then what…?"  
  
As James began his question, Crystal set the pitcher down, and grabbed a pink and white napkin. Shame-faced, she proffered it to her pa, then clasped her hands protectively behind her.  
  
James' look of concern was quickly replaced with one of grim determination. He said not a word as he went to sit down at the table.  
  
For the first time he saw Danielle in his seat. He frowned, but chose another chair. Julia and Crystal each took a seat, and then James blessed the food.   
  
This done, he turned his attention to his niece.  
  
"I'm sure you're going to want to get to bed once we've supped," he said. Crystal blushed, knowing her father was trying to let them have their 'discussion' in private.  
  
"Yes, Uncle James," Danielle replied. "I'm awfully tired. I'll just bring in my satchel for tonight. It has a change of clothes in it."  
  
"Very good," James said. "I brought that in and set that at the foot of the stairs that lead up to Crystal's room. She has a pull-out trundle bed you can use."  
  
"That sounds perfect," she said, then turned to her aunt.  
  
"This meal is ever so delicious, Aunt Julia."  
  
Julia's heart warmed with the praise. "Why thank you, sweetheart," she replied kindly.  
  
After that, dinner was a fairly quiet affair, and for poor Crystal, it seemed to drag on forever. However, as all good, or in this case, bad things do, it came to an end as everyone finished and cleared their places.  
  
"Danielle, honey, why don't you just go on upstairs?" suggested Julia. "The stairs go right up into Crystal's bedroom. The trundle is already pulled out for you, and has clean sheets and blankets on it. Your uncle and I need to speak with Crystal for a while, but she will be back up later."  
  
"Of course, Aunt Julia," she said while giving (to Crystal, anyway,) an exaggerated yawn. Crystal felt something wasn't quite right with her cousin, but at the moment she was too upset over her own predicament to be overly concerned about her.  
  
Danielle went and hugged first James goodnight, and then Julia, and finally made her way upstairs. Once satisfied she was all the way up the stairs, James and Julia turned to their nervous daughter.  
  
"Well?" James demanded. "What have you to say for yourself?"  
  
"Pa… I… was just excited about getting Danielle! I guess I hurried so I could go with you. I'm so sorry!"  
  
"Crystal, this is the third time this month you've been negligent in your chores," Julia said. "If you didn't have time to do this one properly before you left you should have just stayed here. Most likely, I would have finished the laundry myself. Then you wouldn't even be in this mess!"  
  
Crystal just hung her head in shame, watching her tears form puddles on the old wooden floor beams.  
  
"Your mistakes have been getting graver and graver," Julia continued." Here, her voice got rather constricted. "You know those napkins were the last thing that survived the trip out here that were from my parents?"  
  
Crystal started sobbing. "Mama, I'm so sorry!"  
  
James lifted her chin roughly until she was looking at him, and then he took a step back. "You remember what we told you would happen the next time you did something like this?"  
  
"Pa… no!" she wailed.  
  
"Oh, you don't remember? Maybe you need a little reminder!" James barked as he made a pass towards his daughter.  
  
"No, pa! I remember! I just…" Crystal said, cowering away from the sudden display of anger. James' face was twisted in rage and was just about ready to slap his daughter when he felt his wife's hand on his arm.  
  
"James, stop. You are upset about her mistake with the chores, not what she just said, and you know it. I also think we've been too easy on her, and it's built up. Whatever it is, you WILL NOT touch our daughter until you've calmed down."  
  
James' jaw was set, but he lowered his hand. "Crystal, go do your barn chores and wait for me there," he ordered softly.  
  
This was quite different from how her punishments were usually handled, and she left in great confusion. Behind her she could hear a few phrases of her parents' arguing.  
  
"Julia! She obviously hasn't been learning anything from the spankings I've been giving her!" James yelled.  
  
"You're right, James, but taking it out on her in anger isn't going to change things..."  
  
That was the last thing Crystal was able to hear as she trudged out to the barn. She didn't know exactly what to expect, but she was pretty sure it wasn't going to be good. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Caustic Cousins"  
  
Part 2  
  
A Little House on the Prairie Fanfic  
  
Crystal waited for what seemed like an eternity out in the barn. Ever so slowly she raked out the dirty straw in the horses' stalls, but her heart simply wasn't in her work. Five minutes passed, which turned into ten, and then fifteen. By this time she was feeding their mare, Ira, when suddenly the barn doors opened. The girl jumped at the sound of the squeaky bolts and the door dragging on the dirt floor as it was opened and shut.  
  
"Crystal, come here," James said, once more calm. His voice no longer held the anger, and the venom was gone from his gaze. All that was left was a firm undercurrent to his speech.  
  
Slowly, Crystal set down the bucket of feed, and approached her father nervously. Never had he appeared so angry as he had earlier, and she wasn't sure that this mood was for real. When James reached out a hand she instinctively shirked back in fear. Tears glistened in his eyes as he put that hand in his other.  
  
"Oh, Crystal, I am so sorry," he whispered. "Your ma was right, we've been letting things go with you. We've let you get away with things we shouldn't have, and when I have spanked you, I don't think it's been hard enough. I was angry, Crystal, but not over what I should have been."  
  
James went over to a bale of hay and sat down, then motioned for his daughter to join him. Hesitantly, she obeyed him. He put a comforting arm around her, and just sat in silence for a minute. Finally, he spoke again.  
  
"I shouldn't have been that upset with you, and I definitely wasn't upset over what you said. I was upset with myself, Crystal, for letting things happen, for neglecting my role as your pa. Please, baby, can you forgive me?"  
  
Crystal was in a state of shock, and was still absorbing what her father had just said. Finally she was able to speak, although her voice warbled slightly.   
  
"Of course I forgive you, Pa."  
  
James took a shuddery breath. "Thank you, baby. I promise you this: I will never again punish you in anger. That was wrong and inexcusable. Especially when my anger should have been directed at myself."  
  
Crystal gave a small smile. "It's alright, Pa. We all make mistakes once in a while."  
  
"Yes, Crystal, we do. But we also need to learn to accept the consequences of those mistakes. I had to be prepared to come out here tonight with you so scared of me that you would never feel safe around me again."  
  
"But, Pa, I…"  
  
"Hush, Crystal. It's true. It broke my heart when I saw you scared of me. That was my punishment. But Crystal, you also need to take your punishment."  
  
"I know, Pa," she whispered.   
  
"Honey, your ma and I have been talking, and we've decided that you need something more constant to prevent you from doing such a thing ever again. We also think that the punishments I have been giving you just haven't been doing the trick. We… I… that is, Crystal, sweetheart, we're going to start doing things a little more how country-folk do them."  
  
Crystal's small face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't understand, Pa! You're already spanking me."  
  
"That's exactly it, Crystal. Sweetheart, have any of your friends told you exactly how they get punished?"  
  
"No… they just say they get spanked."  
  
"Is that really what they say, Crystal? Or do they use words like 'licked,' 'tanned,' and 'skinned?'"  
  
"Don't they mean the same thing, Pa?" asked a bemused Crystal.  
  
"No, sweetheart, they don't. A spanking, if done long enough, and for smaller things, can be quite effective. For instance, from now on, when you mess up small things, your ma will spank you with a switch, or her hand, or her hairbrush. But for major or recurring infractions, I'm going to be handling your punishments."  
  
Crystal, starting to get the idea, but a little scared at the prospect, decided to play dumb. "Wh-what exactly are you going to do, Pa?" she asked is a high-pitched voice.  
  
James stood, and walked over to the doorframe. For the first time, Crystal noticed a thick, well-oiled leather strap hanging there. Her eyes opened in fright, and she backed away again.   
  
"Pa, no, oh no, Pa, you wouldn't…" Tears were beginning to fall silently down her grimy cheeks again.  
  
"Crystal, honey, it's alright, yes, I'm going to do this. But I promise not to suddenly spring a full punishment on you. I'm going to work you up to the point where you can tolerate a full strapping. Believe me, what you get tonight is going to feel like a full strapping, and there is no sense in going beyond what you can handle."  
  
Slightly comforted, knowing her father was still looking out for her, but also scared stiff at prospect of receiving a whipping Crystal stood there, very unsure of herself.  
  
"Crystal, one thing you must know is that these will always be given to you on your bare bottom. It would only be worse to let you keep your clothing up, because I wouldn't know when to stop, and I would probably keep going far beyond what you deserved.  
  
She was already crying, but the idea of having that hunk of leather coming down on her bare bottom was almost too much to bear. She began softly sobbing at this very unwelcome news, even if it was being done in her best interest.  
  
James sighed, and hardened his heart. It hurt him so much to hurt his little girl who had already been through so much suffering through no fault of her own. Still, he knew he was really hurting her more by letting her keep getting away with things, and so he came over to her.   
  
"Crystal, sweetheart, let's just get this over with, alright?" he asked in a strained voice. She silently nodded through her sobs.  
  
He sighed, then began giving out instructions. "Crystal, go put a folded horse blanket on top of that hay bale there, would you please?"  
  
Ever so slowly she went to obey her orders. It wouldn't help matters any to procrastinate, although every fiber of her being wanted to keep this from actually happening. She went to the corner and grabbed a navy blue wool blanket, folded it over three times, and set it on top of the bale. She stepped back then, scuffing the dirt with her boots in nervousness as she waited for the dreaded order.  
  
"Okay, Crystal, bend over the blanket, honey, and grab the edge of the bale, alright?" came James' next direction.  
  
Shakily, she approached the bale, and took a shuddery breath before getting up on her tiptoes and bending over. Before long she felt James come over and lift her skirt and petticoat. Closing his eyes, he took down his only child's last defense from the oncoming blows: her thin, plain white bloomers.  
  
The strap had been draped across his left arm while these proceedings were taking place. Now, he shifted its location to his right hand.  
  
"Are you ready, darlin'," he asked.  
  
Crystal took a deep breath. She honestly didn't think she'd ever be ready, but she knew that wasn't what her pa wanted to hear. Instead, she simply squeaked out, "Yes, Pa."  
  
"Alright then." James stepped back and slightly to her left. Just as he was about to let fly, he remembered something that on rare occasions his pa had done for him. He laid his left hand gently on his daughter's lower back.   
  
Crystal flinched involuntarily at the first touch of his hand, but then relaxed. Somehow, feeling that caring side of her pa still there made it easier to take. Suddenly, there was a loud hiss, and a crack that echoed throughout the old barn. At first the pain didn't even register, but then Crystal let out a wail.  
  
This pain was nothing like those few spankings she had earned since her parents had decided that corporal punishment wasn't necessarily the wrong way to go. This burned deeply, and on only the first stroke. 'How many am I going to have to take?' she thought as she sobbed.  
  
James watched the area he had struck first turn white, which soon turned into a beet red stripe. He had already decided that for tonight he would only go down her bottom and halfway down her thighs once. That would be more than enough for her first time with a full-strength strapping.  
  
Keeping his left hand firmly on her back, maintaining that connection between father and daughter, he reached back and let the second stroke fly, letting it land just below the first, just above her sit spot.  
  
Crystal tensed at the sound of the leather whirring through the air, and screeched, high-pitched, as the pain registered. Already she knew that she would be spending more time on her chores. Her pa was right, this was much worse than a spanking, and they weren't anywhere near the same.  
  
Suddenly, there was another whoosh of air and a third crack, landing directly on her sit-spot. This time she squealed and stamped each boot in turn.  
  
James' heart was breaking at the site of his daughter in so much pain, and was eager to get this finished. As soon as she had settled down again, he let the fourth stroke go, landing on the very tops of her thighs.  
  
A high-pitched scream could be heard, coming from his daughter, and James just wanted to scoop her up and hold her, but he had decided what her punishment was to be, and he was not going to do her wrong by letting her off again. Half-heartedly he struck directly below the last smack, and lifted her up and held her even as she was screaming.  
  
Tears were streaming down both father and daughter's faces. James just sat there, rocking his sobbing child.   
  
When she had finally calmed down enough to speak, she did so, although she still refused to let go of her pa. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.  
  
"Shh," he replied, tenderly stroking her long hair. "It's alright, now. It's in the past. It's forgotten. No one will bring it up again, okay?"  
  
Silently she nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw a flickering light quickly making its way from the window, but she shook her head, sure that she was imagining things.  
  
"Well, doll," James said at last, "let's get you off to bed. I'm sure you've got to be quite tired."  
  
Crystal nodded. Indeed, she was tired, and felt like she could just fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Slowly, father and daughter made their way back to the farmhouse.  
  
The young girl wasn't able to even look at her mother once they had entered, she was so embarrassed. Unfortunately, she wasn't going to get away with this.  
  
"Goodnight, sweetheart," he mother said warmly.  
  
"G'night, Ma. I'm really sorry…"  
  
"It's alright. Don't worry about it. Just get on up to bed. Danielle should still be awake."  
  
James and Crystal shot a questioning glance at Julia.  
  
"She had to use the outhouse desperately." At Crystal's look of despair, Julia added, "Oh, sweetie, I made her promise she'd stay away from the barn. I'm sure she never heard anything. The outhouse and barn are plenty far away from each other."  
  
"But I saw a light right outside the barn window…" she began, but James cut in.  
  
"I'm sure you were just seeing things, sweetheart. Your eyes were probably so full of tears the light was playing tricks on them."  
  
Crystal's mind was full of doubt, but she nodded anyway. "I'm sure you're right, Pa," she said, while unconscientiously rubbing her inflamed bottom.  
  
James smiled, and replied, "Goodnight." He gave her a short hug, and then sent her scampering up the stairs. 


End file.
